What ARE those?
by QTHorror
Summary: First encounters with two pranksters can really go in unexpected directions.
1. Chapter 1

The taste and feel of the air here is unique; salty and heavy with moisture, much different than the air back from where she was from. It almost tasted charged, at least right now. Maybe a storm moving in? Whatever the case, the sky was a cloudless, vibrant blue at this moment. And she planned to enjoy every moment of it.

So she was doing so, by finally visiting the tiny dock nestled out of the way that had caused her curiosity to perk up. According to those she had asked, not many people saw fit to visit the area, generally because the stretch of beach it was on was not really enjoyable to spend a length of time on. Too much rock mixed in with the sand.

A good enough reason, well that one along with the stories of odd things that happen at the little dock. Shoes going missing, _other_ articles of clothing being moved or disappearing entirely, strange sounds, people tripping over nothing.

At first, apparently, people had just assumed a bunch of kids were pranking people. That was quickly dismissed when no pranksters could be found despite the best of efforts being made.

So most refuse to deal with it and the little dock stands alone for the better part of time.

Well until now; her curious nature was just too strong to let something like this go and not see if the stories were true.

She really needed to get her reckless streak under control.

But that could wait. She had a path to follow!

The path that had been suggested to her, was a winding length that gently declined until it met soft sand, easily navigable by most. The vegetation along it was fairly sparse and mostly long grasses or shrubs. Still pretty, in its own humble way.

The deep, dark blue that was the ocean, was clearly visible and catching the sun in a sparkling dance. And the little dock was a smidge off to the right of the path, from what she could tell.

It took her less than 5 minutes to travel the entirety of the path, excitement lending her speed. Any other time she'd be chastising herself for not taking in the scenery, but for now there was adventure to be had. And she'd been catching glints of something in the water.

Maybe sunlight. Maybe not.

Either way, _exciting._

It occured to her, as she's picking her way over the rock and sand, that she probably should've worn actual shoes and not, you know, flip-flops. It probably would have saved her feet from their current punishment. Ah, hindsight, what a wonder.

She was determined though. And the dock was right there!

Like twenty feet away. Fifteen now.

Oh the way her feet welcomed the solid wood of the dock.

A dock that was surprisingly sturdy and well-maintained despite the signs of weathering.

Huh. That was impressive.

Excitement began to calm into silent curiosity, and her pace reflected it. No longer long, jerky strides, she walked with a slow leisure now. It was nice to just allow herself to be.

The pace was slow enough to allow her ever darting eyes to catch the glint of movement out of the corner of them. Not but a second later the sound of a splash followed. Head quickly snapping in that direction, she freezes mid-step.

Fading ripples and sunlight glinting up from the water.

Shoulders relaxing from their tensed position, she snorted at her own reaction and muttered, "Stupid. Next you're gonna be jumping at your own reflection."

Giving an eye roll, her lips twitch upward in a sheepish smile and her legs unfreeze. It was probably just a fish anyway.

She hoped.

Breath steadying, she made it to the end of the dock with only the rhythmic slap of her flip-flops across the wood adding to the ambient sounds. No more splashes. But from time to time, the flash of something moving in the water would catch her attention.

Pausing at the end for a moment, she stared at the horizon in awe. It extended miles and miles beyond what could be seen, a thin fog captured between dueling blues. It was beautiful.

Sinking slowly to sit, she sliped off her flip-flops and placed them aside, confident that they'd be there when next she looks. Now all she needed to decide was whether or not she wanted to dangle her feet off the edge and into the water.

On one hand, it'd be soothing and refreshing.

On the other hand, it'd be potential death. Okay maybe not death, but it does kind of freak her out not knowing what could be lurking in the clouded water. _Especially_ given those flashes she had seen earlier.

Ah fuck it, why not. She'd come this far. No time to be chickening out.

Long, thin feet draped over the dock's end and toes tentatively dipped into the water. When no immediate threat showed itself, they relaxed and slipped in all the way. The water was just cool enough to be comfortable.

A pro was that the water just barely covered the tops of her feet, so she can yank them back up and have them out quickly if need be. It helped her relax enough to start humming absentmindedly.

Soon she was idly swishing her feet around in small, gentle movements.

Leaning back onto her hands, a relaxed, content smile drifted across her face. She would spend hours here if allowed. It would be so tempting to just lay back and have a quick nap.

She was contemplating just that before a scraping sound caused her to shoot bolt upright and yank her feet from the water.

Curling around her knees, she scooted away from the edge and looked around. There was nothing aside from the rippling water. Yeah, okay she would _not_ be putting her feet back in today. She'd just sit here and enjoy the warmth of the sun and the slight breeze.

With that firmly in mind, the hours passed in relative peace. A few more random noises and one incident of something thumping against the dock were the only things that happened. Her flip-flops were still there when she got up to leave, and nobody appeared to try and prank her.

Maybe those stories had been exaggerated, because every time she visited afterwards, nothing out of the ordinary happened. She'd get occasional glimpses of something red and something gold, but wrote them off as fish or tricks of the light.

So nothing out of the ordinary happened at all.

Until it did.

It had to be her tenth time visiting.

She seated herself where she normally did and draped her legs and feet over the edge into the water. An hour passed, then two before she felt the first brush of _something_ against her feet.

Freezing in place, she waited to feel it again. When nothing happened, she tried to relax back into her routine, though wariness never left her.

Good thing too, because the next thing she knew, something brushed against her feet again. Jumping, she tried to yank them up and out, only to freeze in place when a hand wrapped around her left ankle.

_A webbed hand._

_Oh shit were those scales!?_

A strangled shriek caught in her throat and all she could do was follow where that hand led.

Hysterically, she noted two heads now above the water, one a great deal closer than the other. Both looked nearly human, with the exception of what seemed to be fins flaring out from where a human's ears would be. And a smattering of scales, _colored scales_.

_Oh and the slightly glowing violet-red eyes._

And _both_ were wearing matching smirks, hints of sharpened teeth peeking out. They both looked like they were about to burst into a laughing fit.

So she did the only thing she could.

Hands shooting out, she grabbed her flip-flops and hurled one at each of them. She missed both.

It had the intended effect, though.

The red-scaled one with black fins, slackened his grip on her ankle, too busy laughing at her terrible aim. The golden-scaled one submerged then came back up, amusement seeming to war with offense at her poor attack.

Either way, she immediately yanked herself free and scooted back a foot, fear and a tingle of curiosity warring, keeping her rooted in place.

In response, both shot forward toward the dock. The golden one covered the distance in a blink to join his twin. Both still amused, pulled themselves up onto the dock just enough for them to comfortably prop up on their arms and chests.

Flashing sharp teeth at her in a mischievous grin, the red one reached forward and tweaked one of her toes. "So, what _ARE_ those?"

The only response she gave was a high-pitch squeaked, _"Holy shit."_


	2. Chapter 2

She so wanted to start tearing ass up the beach. That would've been the intelligent thing to do. That would've been her self-preservation instinct kicking in and saving her reckless, tempting fate ass. Too bad that on both counts, something had obviously malfunctioned in her mind.

Instead, she just sat there and stared back at those eerie red-violet eyes and grinning mouths filled with razor sharp looking teeth. She didn't even bother pulling her foot away from the probing touch. One part of her screaming with fear. The other with curiosity.

It was a paralyzing effect.

Thank whatever deity was looking down upon the situation; the two creatures didn't seem intent on harming her. For now at least. They both seemed...curious. And amused. The red colored one more so than his gold twin.

Still her strangled exclamation garnered her an unexpected reaction from the two. Really, she _should_ have expected it, given how..._entertained _they seemed. Because as soon as she uttered the words, they both burst into laughter. The red one falling against the gold one as they did so. It was enough to almost send _her _into a fit of giggles.

Oh hysteria, thou art an exasperating bitch.

Cautiously, while they were apparently distracted by her distress, she begins to ease herself back just a little more. A girl needs distance you know? Too bad she's always been terrible at estimating just how much attention she garners.

Stealthy she is not.

The gold one notices and one of his hands snake out, lightning quick, to grasp her ankle. Now, she's not an overly small girl, so the fact that his hand is able to wrap around it entirely, is almost as startling as the move itself. Enough for her to try to flinch back and away.

She's lucky. She is really, _really _lucky. The involuntary reaction isn't enough to even budge the unnatural strength behind the grip. Otherwise her foot would be shredded. Those wicked looking claws would be more than enough to do so.

Grip firming the slightest bit, almost like the squeeze of comfort you'd get from a friend or a warning from some creature that you're sure could very much destroy you if it wanted, the golden one gave a gentle tug at her ankle. "Now, don't go running away dear. We're not going to hurt you! We're just curious and would like to chat! Well, Sides would anyway."

The voice that came from him was bewitching; her gaze immediately shot up from his hand to meet his eyes. Steady, almost lyrical, and slightly haughty, the voice was one she wouldn't mind listening to again and again. It was pleasing. And augmented by those pretty glowing eyes of his.

Head feeling slightly foggy and disconnected, some deep hidden instinct roared from the back of her mind. Distant. Almost ignorable. _Almost._

Reeling back slightly for a second in surprise – _When had she started to lean toward him? – s_he instead folded forward to curl over her knees and glared into those pretty eyes. Whatever it was that he'd done, it had since eased and cleared.

And oh was she mildly pissed...and scared. She could feel her voice deepen slightly and fall into the cadence it does when she's being serious. Or angry. She's definitely a little angry right now. "_Please _let go. I won't ask twice."

Simple. Blunt. Funny how fear and a sense of slight indignation can make you fearless. As paradoxical as that was. Or maybe it was just that reckless streak acting up again.

The way his eyes widened then narrowed, and the way his brother's head jerked up with a surprised "oh", would have been comical any other time. Right now though. Right now she was very much aware that she was at their mercy. It was something that she expected to be called out for.

Except it didn't happen. She got an analyzing look from the gold one and a slow grin that morphed into an outright smile from the red one. Sides, she thinks his name was.

Meeting their eyes boldly, she tentatively and slowly began to pull her ankle away. Refusing to look away at any point.

And she was allowed to do so; the clawed hand's grip relaxing minutely and opening enough to let her ankle pull free with little issue. She doubted she'd ever forget the sensation of those claws brushing lightly against her skin as she did so. He did that on purpose. She _knows_ he did.

Whatever. She's free now and that's all that matters. In this moment anyways.

Opportunity presented, she pulled her legs up until they're as close to her chest as they could possibly get. When that didn't garner anything more than an amused snort and arched brow, she slowly scooted a little farther away. She was _not_ taking any chances with these two.

Expression turning a little mutinous and feeling braver, than before, she tilted her head and really looked at them. They were as strange as her initial panicked observations showed.

Flaring, ruffled fins where ears should be, twitching every now and then when she shifted. A patch of dark colored..._hair_? A shock of dark _hair_ curling from the front of their heads and disappearing toward the back. Fucking wild.

Brilliantly colored scales where only skin should be, tapering off into completely scaled tails that sported larger fins along the back and sides. Dorsal and...pelvic fins? That's what they're called, she thought at least. Those fins looked a bit different than the ones along the sides of their heads, from what she could see at least. These fins seemed more rigid.

The glowing eyes, cat-like slit pupils, teeth and claws just wrapped up the package of strange and dangerous. They both were some odd amalgamation of human and sea creature.

They held a certain attractiveness though. In a beautiful, but deadly, off-putting way. She could admit that. Not aloud though, she had a feeling that if she did, their egos would swell and they'd float away or something. They just had that kind of smugness about them.

So yeah, no saying stuff like that out loud. Ever.

In all the time that it took for her to formulate her thoughts into something cohesive and understandable, they had drawn their own conclusions about her.

Bolder than they'd initially thought, bright eyes that lit up challengingly at them, an accented voice that was as odd as it was captivating, odd, wiggly things that she used to walk, and a stubbornness spoken purely in the set of her shoulders...she was exactly the type of person they loved to tease. And more importantly, she had given them an opportunity to learn about something they'd been warned to fear.

And honestly, she'd won some respect by not freaking out and running away screaming. _Especially _after the stunt Sunny pulled.

All in all, for them, their curiosity was fixated entirely on her for the time-being. If they were being honest though, it had been since the second or third time she'd shown up. Not many humans would do so and seem completely unaffected, or less affected by their mischief.

So they were _very _curious. And that curiosity needed to be satisfied.

They'd never interacted directly with a human and this was a chance they were willing to take, since she didn't _seem _very dangerous.

In their opinions, this was two worlds colliding, so to speak. It would be an exciting tale to tell. Hopefully. And they'd get to learn.

It just so happened, in their favor, that _she_ was just as curious about _them_.

Because, moments later her shoulders relaxed down slightly and her expression turned thoughtful. The fear was quickly ebbing away and rapidly being replaced by a rampant desire to know more. They were entirely unique beings, to her at least.

And you know what they say, curiosity killed the cat.

But this was just too tempting too pass up. And really, if she was going to bite it, then she was going to bite it, _learning_.

Nodding resolutely to herself, she carefully folded her legs from their cramped position into a cross-legged position. If she was going to be here for however long this would take, she was going to be comfortable dammit.

The feeling of butterflies swarming around in her stomach made her hesitate and swallow dryly, though. She was not expecting just how intense their gazes were. She'd been distracted with her fear and anger earlier and never really noticed. They were watching her every move and that in itself was terrifying.

She _hated _being the focus of anyone's attention.

Add in that they're kinda attractive, well...she wasn't going to be comfortable anytime soon.

Eyes flicking between them, the dock, and back to them, she gathered her voice to speak, wincing at the hoarseness of it, "Soooo, who- or _what_ are you?"


	3. Chapter 3

Sideswipe was more than a little amused. And a little taken with the new subject of their curiosity. The girl before them seemed to flit from one emotion to another as quickly as the weather could change. One moment she was scared and the next she was bold and defiant. And then she was adorably flustered, not meeting their gaze for more than a second.

She did seem more relaxed than before though, so that was a good sign. Hopefully she'd be willing to satisfy their curiosity. And if they could bolster that chance by answering some of her own questions then so be it.

The bark of laughter that escapes him at her first question is a little startling, but not unexpected. Humans were so predictable sometimes.

Sharp teeth flashing in a grin, Sideswipe shared a look with his twin. Mischief blossoming and passing between them in that singular look. _They might as well have a little fun._

The fins on the sides of his head flaring out and twitching slightly, he let his grin grow, conveniently ignoring the suspicious look she shot him. Pointing to himself then to his brother, he said, "Weeeeeell, I'm Sideswipe and this ray of sunshine is—"

A sudden shove knocked his arms forward and he smacked chest first into the wood, words trailing off into a yelp and whoosh of air. His gold twin's hand and arm retreating back, as he picked up where Sideswipe left off. "I told you _not_ to call me that. Anyway, like my twin was saying, he's Sideswipe and _I_ am Sunstreaker."

Sunstreaker could admit that he was a vain creature and more than a little prideful. So he wasn't at all ashamed at the swelling of his pride when he caught the small smile pull the girl's lips upward. It swelled even more when the set of her shoulders relaxed into a more normal position, based on what he observed from her visits.

Plus it gave him reason to ignore his twin's glare and pout. For now. He was sure he'd be paying for it in some way later.

Whatever, he'd _really _enjoyed that little smile he got.

Attention focused on her, he watched as her head dipped in a nod and she gave a soft, "Nice to meet you."

He could feel as his cheeks began to heat slightly in reaction and the sensation become more than a little distracting. His response is as foreign to him as she is, and for that reason alone, he doesn't hesitate in answering the second part of her question.

That was the only reason. Totally.

Blinking slightly as he meets her focused, openly curious gaze, Sunstreaker finds himself stumbling over his words slightly, still a little thrown from before. And from his brother's amused snort, his...trouble was noticeable. "And well, we're what you'd know as sirens. Or mermen. Though neither of those are what we call ourselves."

The words were stilted, awkward and for a moment Sunstreaker was horrified. This was not how he usually acted. He prided himself on being unshakable. This...this was mildly alarming. And distracting enough for his brother to step in once more.

"Demons! Sea demons is what some humans call us. And other mer, but that's another story. We're also total badasses too." An unimpressed, skeptical look rankles both of them a little. They both _are_ badasses. They have to be to protect their pod the way they do. Although...others would say they were reckless.

What was that weird human saying again? Oh yeah, potato, po-tah-to.

Neither of them even knew what a potato was. But the context seemed to fit.

Smirking, Sideswipe figured some elaboration on his part would wipe the skepticism from her face and maybe impress her a little. Puffing up just a little, he was confident in his boasting, "We really are! We protect our pod from all sorts of nasty things! Things like giant sharks and squids. Oh and other huge mer! I'm talking like as big as those floaty thingies that carry all those square things! Uh..boxes! But yeah we totally take them on and kick their asses! Me and Sunny are the best."

About halfway through, he realized he was rambling and his brother was giving him the most exasperated look he'd ever received. He was committed though, he would see it through to the end. And that little smile growing on her face and the occasional soft snort of amusement was so worth it.

She raised an eyebrow and her lips twitched up in amusement at the boasts. Because that was exactly what they were, boasts. Normally she'd find it off-putting, but this felt different. Maybe because, despite it all, they seemed just as nervous as she was, in their own way of course.

Plus they were being adorable. And dammit if that wasn't tugging at her heart.

"I think you mean boats, dear. Those are the big...ah _floaty thingies_. But you two certainly sound like quite the...brave duo. Thank you for telling me quite the tale." If her smile had grown at this point, well...it would be understandable. The two were charming, in their own little way. And really cute with the way both puffed up and preened at the compliment.

Glancing above both their heads, the girl let her mind wander a little.

Humming absentmindedly in thought, she slowly processed what she'd learned, one hand's fingers drumming on her knee and the other's coming up to brush her hair back. It wasn't much, but she could understand the lack of facts. They didn't know anything about her, and she them.

Chewing on her lip, she came to the conclusion that despite her still lingering fear and wariness, she does want to see the two again. She was sure that in time they'd be more open.

Gaze focusing, she takes a moment to really look at them. Sideswipes' expression is patiently hopeful and burning with mischief. Sunstreaker's face was harder to read, his own wariness clouding it, but she could pick out at least a little curiosity behind the mask. And maybe a little hope too. Both were still puffed up from the earlier praise, fins on the sides of their heads flared out and wiggling a little.

They seemed to be just as...not quite desperate, but...they seemed like they wanted her to visit again. Just as much as _she_ wanted to visit them again. And she'd quietly admit to herself, she was _eager_ to visit them again.

Tilting her head in consideration, her voice comes out steady, with a trace of reluctance, "Thank you. Both of you for answering. But...but I really need to go now. I...I have work soon."

The sight of the disappointment that flashed across their faces and the resulting pouts, Sideswipes' the more obvious of the two, almost convinces her to stay a little longer, a strange twisting in her heart making it a little harder to leave than it should have been. She wanted to indulge their own curiosity like they had hers.

But she really can't. Not today.

She also can't...no _won't_ leave them simply hanging in suspense of a "might return."

Impulsively, she reached out and brushed her fingers across first one of Sideswipes', then Sunstreaker's hands, letting each touch linger. It had the intended effect of drawing their attention away from their sulking. But it also drew the butterflies from before fluttering around in her stomach again. Their gazes were just so intense.

Feeling a little flustered, she pulled her hand back to her chest and began to rise, well aware of their eyes following her movements again. It took a moment before she was able to look at them. Their expressions remained a little muted, but a smile was beginning to play across Sideswipes' face.

It was a smile brimming with mischief. One that matched the sudden glint in his eyes well. "Wait! Before you go, you never told us what those things are! And can't we at least have the name of the beautiful lady that visited us?"

Flushing, she could do nothing but stare for a moment, completely taken aback as her heart skipped a beat. It wasn't until a small, barely there, smile of amusement flickered across Sunstreaker's lips that she remembered herself.

Drawing herself completely straight, some distant spark of her own mischief showed itself and was enough to push through the embarrassment.

Meeting their gazes head on, she gave them a cheeky smile and said, "Guess you'll just have to keep visiting to find out, huh?"

Turning on her heel, she listened to the sound of her footsteps and the twin laughs, one a tad higher than the other, echo in the air around her as she walked away.

The world a little bigger.

Her heart a little lighter.

And the cresting feeling of an adventure beginning, swelling in her mind.


End file.
